At 6.25pm on 4 September Holyhead Coastguard paged the RNLI lifeboat operations manager and requested an immediate RNLI lifeboat launch to a 6.5 metre speedboat which had broken down between Criccieth and Black Rock beach.
Crew pagers were immediately activated and the RNLI Atlantic 85 lifeboat DORIS JOAN launched at 6.36pm. The casualty was actually located towards Criccieth from the Porthmadog Fairway Buoy and the No.1 Buoy.
The lifeboat came alongside the speedboat named LIBBOLY and placed a crew member aboard. There was a man, woman and three young children from Chester aboard the speedboat. She had suffered a machinery failure due to an electrical fault.
The RNLI helmsman decided to tow the boat and its occupants to Porthmadog Harbour. The volunteer lifeboat crew rigged the tow line and began a tow at 6.43pm. At 7.10pm, whilst off the No.10 Buoy, the speedboat was brought alongside the lifeboat. She was then towed alongside the lifeboat, up the channel into Porthmadog Harbour at 7.19pm.
The speedboat and its occupants were brought safely ashore at the public slipway in Porthmadog Harbour.
The lifeboat then departed for Criccieth at 7.30pm and arrived there at 7.58pm. She was immediately recovered and made ready for service by the volunteers by 8.20pm.
